Sony WH-1000XM4 Headphones Review

Sony WH-1000XM4: The Review

I had been intending to upgrade my earphones to a noise cancelling pair for sometime. With my first experience of the Sony XM3’s I reviewed earlier this year, I knew they were essential. I had an upcoming trip to Singapore and Bali in August and the thought of a flight without a pair was not a fun idea. I didn’t fancy earbuds for that 12 hour flight, so I thought I’d make the upgrade nearer the time. But things rarely go to plan, and my pair of Marshalls I’d been carting around for the last 18 months gave up the ghost earlier than intended. So rather than buy an interim pair I made the upgrade earlier than planned. I am writing this review after my flight to Singapore and months of using thek during workouts and commutes.

The Sony WH-1000XM4 Headphones arrive in a storage case which looks rather nice. It is a tad bulky, but it is solid which I appreciate when spending so much on a pair of headphones. Inside the case the headphones are tucked away neatly, I didn’t realise quite how big they were. The fit snuggly taking up almost the entirety of the space. There is a little bit of extra space with two storage pockets. These included a charge cable which I would have presumed to be included. What I really appreciated was an audio cable and a airline adapter so you can plug it in directly to your airlines entertainment system. When my tech kit got lost at Heathrow airport which included my adapter and Ugreen transmitter then this was greatly appreciated.  

Everything sounds crisp and clear with the Sony WH-1000XM4 Headphones. I’ve tried different music genres, podcasts, movies and TV. Im yet to listen to anything that was dissapointing (well I’ve been dissapointed by some of the storylines but thats a different matter altogether). If anything the downside to sound quality this good is you can never go back to basic headphones again. 

Being over-ear I’ve found these headphones incredibly comfortable. Ear buds after a period of time I find begin to rub. On-ear headphones feel tighter and tighter the longer you wear them, leaving my ears crushed. But over-ears such as these I can wear for hours and its like they arent even there.

Noise Cancelling

Sony’s noise-cancelling on their headphones are legendary, competing with Bose in terms of quality and more recently Anker Soundcores coming into the market with more wallet friendly rivals. As I write this article I am on my flight to Singapore and I can honestly say its the made such a difference to the comfort of my flight. I can still hear the rumble of the engine but its almost distant. But it is a huge reduction to any background noise. This is even the case when I was sat above the wings and next to the toilet, creating a cacophony of noises for it to block out. As for general conversation from other passengers its almost non-existant. That’s just with the no sound playing, as soon as you start your film or podcast I cannot hear a thing beyond that, which is perfect to me. In fact watching a movie feels like my own private experience.

I do like to use the XM4 Headphones at the gym. But I do prefer to use others instead. This is purely because I prefer lighter earbuds for my workouts especially when I’m doing cardio. They bounce around less which I find more comfortable. They are also in the way less when doing overheads and stay in place when I lay down on the bench. It’s also no secret that when we workout we sweat, which isnt good for the cushions on headphones. Its for these reasons I’ve switched to the Hyphen Aria from Rolling Square for my workouts.

I absolutely adore these headphones, they are pricey, but that price feels justified with the quality. I have often said with Sony, you get what you pay for, with lower priced products reflecting in the product. But once you try noise cancelling headphones its hard to go back to anything else. With the XM5 now released this is a great time to get well-built, noise cancelling headphones at a discounted price.